ARC provided by the publisher through Net Galley.

I had completely forgotten I had received an ARC of this book and just encountered it out in the world enough times I had to read it. Luckily I remembered my ARC and read the whole book before I even got a shipping email for the one I have ordered.

I do not know how to describe my feelings about this book in a manner that does not feel dramatic. I have written then deleted four descriptions that felt overly purple as well as clunky. But basically this book feels like you are listening to a story being told in secret at night, also it is raining. No idea if that makes sense, that is just the feeling I had.

We process this story mostly through the eyes of Chih, a cleric, who has a bird companion named Almost Brilliant, the two encounter Rabbit, an elderly woman who was handmaiden to the Empress of Salt and Fortune. Rabbit tells Chih stories about her time with the Empress, and the story unfolds bit by bit to show us why this story is so significant.

The writing is absolutely beautiful, the plot is incredibly well constructed, and the quiet nature of the story in no way lessens the impact of the words. I love this tiny book.

I don't want to spoil this book in any way; I just want you to read it and hopefully love it as much as I have.

I recommend it to everyone who likes fantasy of folklore or being told a bedtime story as a child.

oh wow, WOW I loved this one so much. The story doesn't really stop to explain things very much or give you all the answers you want, but I was totally okay with the moments of confusion and being without explanations sometimes. I loved the characters and the break in POV and that ending was wonderful. I can't wait to read the next novella!

Full review available on my booktube channel, five stars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbWNiXIbPQ4

"Angry mothers raise daughters fierce enough to fight wolves."

* *
2 / 5

I read this one what feels like forever ago (pre Covid!) and frankly it just wasn't that interesting. I feel compelled to write a short review now because this book has received a lot of high ratings and I'd like to offer a slightly different opinion, as frankly I wasn't particularly impressed.

On the positive side, this book has some nice descriptive paragraphs and some very quotable lines. For example, the one I picked to stick at the top of my review was the kind of thing that first attracted me to this book. I love stories about fierce women. I thought I was going to get a book like The Boneless Mercies which I adored. Unfortunately this was not the case.

A couple of points that I did not like were entirely personal, predominantly the choice of flip-flopping between past and present throughout the story. I have never been a fan of this - the moment you start getting into the narrative it wrenches you away. Other than that, I just didn't feel any particular connection to either the characters or the story, and a lot of what I read was either dry or confusing.

This type of novella is for a specific kind of reader, and unfortunately I was not that reader.

This was a confusing book. Written in two timelines, we follow Cleric Chih and Almost Brilliant as they explore the history of Lake Scarlet and the Empress who once lived there. They meet Rabbit, an elderly woman who was once the handmaiden of In-Yo the titular Empress of Salt and Fortune. While beautifully written, the back and forth almost epistolary format was often confusing since there were often mentions of objects that sparked the conversation but weren't mentioned in the story. As a novella it was also difficult to really know the characters and actually care about them.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is one story I really wish had been ten times longer. All the characters from Rabbit to Almost Brilliant were intriguing making me wish I could know more about them. Rabbit's story was one that made me cry while I was reading this on a sleepless night. I sped through this story quickly and am left with the feeling of just wanting more. Something that I always enjoy when I finish a book.

This was a super cute, feminist and quick read!
The setting descriptions in this book were so vivid and gorgeous, you are able to paint a picture of what the world the author creates would look like.
The main thing I enjoyed about this book was the abundance of representation and inclusivity. Never at any point did it feel like the characters were berated for being themselves and I loved that.

One year after the death of In-yo, Empress of Salt and Fortune, the sites that she put under lock become declassified. On their way to the new empress’s first Dragon Court, Cleric Chih and their assistant, the neixin Almost Brilliant, make a detour to Lake Scarlet, the place where In-yo spent her years in exile before usurping the emperor’s throne. At Lake Scarlet, Chih and Almost Brilliant meet In-yo’s handmaiden, Rabbit, who tells them In-yo’s story: from her arrival at the Gleaming Palace to her banishment at Thriving Fortune (the other name for Lake Scarlet) to her victory over the Empire’s forces. In the process, Chih will learn about the silenced, nameless women who helped In-yo rise to power.

In-yo, a princess from the far north, arrives in the Anh Empire for a political marriage. The court reviles her because they consider her people barbarians. The servants fear her as a witch or sorceress until they discover that “she [is] only a heartbroken and lonely girl, and she [becomes] of no account at all.” And they are correct, for her life—down to the last strand of hair—is subject to the emperor’s whims. Rabbit, “a rabbit-toothed girl from the provinces,” becomes a servant at the Palace of Gleaming Light to make up the difference when her county falls short on its taxes. Later, she follows In-yo into banishment as In-yo’s loyal handmaiden. Though these two women come from different classes and backgrounds, they share similarities: both are sent to a foreign place to fulfill a duty to their people, both are held in low esteem by the people in power, both have no voice of their own as a woman.

Even as Rabbit chronicles In-yo’s rise to power, she reveals the inner workings of a culture that has silenced women. And the cries of these women speak through the actions they take and the actions taken on behalf of them to place a woman (In-yo) on the highest seat of power. One may ask what will happen to In-yo’s successor, who must prove herself worthy of inheriting In-yo’s will—of inheriting the will of the women who came before her. As these women say, “Angry mothers raise daughters fierce enough to fight wolves.”

The Empress of Salt and Fortune tells Empress In-yo’s story. It also tells her successor’s story, her handmaiden’s story, and her peoples’ story: for whether they perpetuated or were suppressed by the system, history belongs to its people. Everyone has a part to play. From this perspective, the reliability of the narration comes into question. Given Rabbit’s close relationship with In-yo, we may assume that her perspective is biased. This raises questions about how we tell stories: What details do we choose to include? To omit? What does the storyteller want us to know about the subject of the story? How trustworthy is the storyteller? How does this challenge our perception of the characters and events?

The Empress of Salt and Fortune warrants multiple readings. As one re-reads, one must question when and where Empress In-yo’s schemes began and what are the thoughts and motivations of the people surrounding her.

A super quick, super fascinating read!

The Empress of Salt and Fortune follows two separate stories, one in the present (cleric Chih travels the lands to record this and that, who talks to Rabbit, who once was a servant to the Empress) and one in the past (Rabbit's time in the service of the Empress).
It's so short (128 pages), but there's so many things happening in it without feeling unnecessarily rushed. Rabbit tells her memories in such vivid detail, aided with souvenirs from times past, and I was 100% here for it! The characters were fleshed out and multi-dimensional, and there's an interesting focus on those thought to be power- and voiceless. I was on the edge of my seat, even when "nothing" happened (as in: no real action or useless shock Moments)

Vo really delivered a masterpiece of a novella here and I am super excited for the release of follow-up novella When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain. The expectations are very high on this one, but if Vo continues like she started in The Empress of Salt and Fortune, I have no doubt she will meet those expectations too!


@Netgalley and Tor: Thank you guys for this ARC!

Ok, this was quite the ride. I didn't really know what to expect going into this book and I actually had to start this book several times. It is an Asian or at least Asian inspired tale about women and feminism and that was all it took to intrigue me to be honest. Only when I started to read did I realize that the book was a short story and for the most part told in retrospect.

The story begins with a cleric called Chih who's on their way to the court of the new empress. And yes, the main character has gender neutral they pronouns, which to be honest took me a while to get used to. They also have a talking bird for some reason. But I guess a bit of magical realism is ok.

The cleric meets an old women, Rabbit, who was a servant and close confidant of the late empress. Rabbit ist the second narrator in this story. We see short parts of the story through Chihs eyes, while the main part is told by Rabbit, who recounts her life with the empress.

The chapters and flashbacks are usually kept short which was one thing that bothered me a little. Many times I wished that we would get to see more about this world and the people. Rabbit tells us about many things that happened but we don't get to see all of them. Many times the retellings end quite abruptly, when I actually wanted to stay with these character for a little longer. It also disrupted the reading flow in my opinion.

The writing style was simple but usually descriptive enough to give you an idea of the characters and places but I admit that I was also confused sometimes. I feel like some things might have went over my head and I don't know if it was due to the shortage of the chapters and their aprubt ending or due to the fact that the book didn't really explain anything that might have given you an insight on the Asian influences. There were some practices for example that I dind't fully grasp. And sometimes things happened and I wasn't actually sure what just happened. Maybe it was a generell lack of historical (Chinese?) knowledge on my part, maybe it was the writing style? I don't really know. Most of the time I kind of figured what might have transpired at later points but I was still oddly confused.
Like what does it mean if someone turns into a kingfisher? Is that a metaphor for death? It is rooted in some Asian myth or legend that I don't know. Or maybe someone actually turned into a kingfisher because magic?

In the end I give Empress of Salt and Fortune 3 stars. I would give it 5 stars if it wouldn't be for the fact that the short chapters and aprubt endings (due to the double narrative) disrupted my reading flow and if I wouldn't have been so confused at times. I found it made it hard for me to keep reading.

But what I really liked were the female characters most of all Rabbit and the Empress. We didn't really get to learn many things about Chih but both Rabbit and the Empress were fascinating characters that had a surprising depths to them, considering the shortness of the overall story.

It took me a little bit to get used to the rhythm of this book, but once I did I really enjoyed it. Chih is a cleric who collects stories. Sent to document Thriving Fortune, the palace where the Empress was held in exile, they meet Rabbit, a servant of the empress who slowly tells Chih her story. This book is beautifully written, and I loved slowly uncovering the stories of both Rabbit and the Empress. It has a fairy tale quality, especially due to its short length. I would have enjoyed this even more, I think, had it been novel-length, but it was a great read.

"It is trash," she said shortly, "but if you want to understand people who have gone, that's what you look at, isn't it? Their offal. Their leavings."

In an Imperial Chinese Setting, 'The Empress of Salt and Fortune' is about a queen sent to the South for a political marriage. She is unaware of the customs in the palace and is left alone most of the time. Once she bears the king a son, she is sent to exile. But this queen refuses to accept her fate.

Empress, is about how much power women hold, and it's not always in the way they participate in the court proceedings (in case they are allowed to) or the way they hold their swords. It's in the form of court gossips, fate charts, and messengers gathering information subtly.

Cleric Chih from the Singing Hills Abbey stumbles upon an old lady, Rabbit, who happens to be the handmaiden of In-Yo, the Empress. This lady is full of tales, of people who deserve to be remembered and not just as footnotes. The story is told in the form of small anecdotes and is kept short and simple. Chih is a non-binary character and the plot represents the true form of Feminism in a historical setting.

For a story this short, there are definitely some hurdles. Firstly, it's difficult to connect to a character completely because the plot is bigger than all of them combined. Secondly, it never feels enough. A story this powerful, a world-building this fascinating deserves more depth.
The book ends in a hopeful note, with power raging through our veins and triumph ringing in our ears. Atmospheric, well imagined, tender and inquisitive, 'The Empress of Salt and Fortune' is a novella that is worthy of all the attention.

This was good, certainly, but I'm just not sure that it will stay with me for a long time. I think it makes a lot of interesting thematic points about war, historiography, archival practice, and memory, but I'm not sure that any of those points came together in any particularly innovative or salient way. Like a lot of highly-praised SFF this seems like a story suited to discussion and analysis more so than a fun reading experience.

The writing is lovely, spare but somehow also incredibly detailed, the characters are vibrant even as they appear only in one or two scenes, but I found the worldbuilding lacking and confusing. Perhaps length has something to do with this; there simply isn't enough room to expand on this world. As it was, it simply felt like an alternate imperial China.

I'm also not sure how I feel about the framing device. I had envisioned this as a straightforward tale told by Rabbit, the Empress's handmaiden, but it turns out Rabbit is telling snippets of her story to Chih, a cleric historian. This is like Wuthering Heights all over again; why am I getting the main story filtered twice over? I wanted more - more of In-yo's scheming, spying, and her coup, but I didn't get any of that. This is a big, explosive story told in the quietest way possible, which is unusual for high fantasy, so perhaps that's why I didn't get along with it.

3.5 🌟🌟🌟

The Empress of Salt and Fortune is an exciting novella written by Nghi Vo. Readers dive deep into an imperial setting, full of political mystery. Our cleric Chi, speaks to their grandmother to know more about her life serving the Empress In-Yo.

Chi, along with the readers, learn about how the current dynasty came to power, the roles of women, class lines, how pays the price of war, and how small acts can change the fate of an empire.

Even though this is a novella, the writing is luxuriously languid. Sometimes, I got lost in the language and had to reread passages for the plot. There were several secrets that I didn’t see coming, which was unexpected.

Overall, an enjoyable read. I highly recommend this to readers who enjoy themes of diaspora, royalty, mystery, and political intrigue. Reading a book this short during quarantine helped me feel like I accomplished something.

Thank you, NetGalley and MacMillan/Tor.com, for sending me this novella for an honest review.

I just love how this story unfolds between the two narrators. It's short but even so the language is poetic without being unnecessarily so. It reminds me why I've been drawn to archives and memoirs, and its characters are beautifully captured. I wish there was more to this universe, but I love what we've been given.

This was too short for me! :(

I know its a novella and I shouldn't complain, but I was honestly fascinated and so drawn in by this world and the characters in it that I just ended up...missing them, and all the information I wanted to know about them, by the time that it ended. I just wanted more. More depth, more time, more pages to read. And overall, that's not a bad complaint to have. I'll be checking out more from this author for sure.

2.5 stars

Short review for a short book.

If this book had been twice the length, I probably would have loved it. The writing was lovely but there wasn't enough character connection and world building for me.

If Nghi Vo ever decides to publish a full length novel, I'll definitely give it a shot.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!

A cleric traveling to the capital comes across an old house next to a glowing lake, and there they find an old woman, Rabbit, who shares with them her experience of a life devoted to The Empress of Salt and Fortune. Rabbit shares the empress’ arrival from the north, her marriage to the king, her production of a male heir and her subsequent exile. Years later, she will return for the throne.

I really enjoyed this little book. You could probably digest it in a single sitting, but quarantine life actually has me too busy to read much, so it took me several days to get through it. The storytelling moves back and forth between the cleric’s journey and Rabbit’s memories. It’s a bittersweet story of loss, vengance, and love.

It’s only 112 pages, so you won’t find an in-depth history of anyone other than Rabbit and the empress, and I kind of wanted more of their time together, even though their entire story was together, if that makes sense? I liked that I had to read betwen the lines for things but would have enjoyed a little more tie for subtleties and maybe more time to spend on certain things. The first half of the book seems to provide more, but the parts I wanted to know more about toward the end were just wrapped up quickly. It makes sense, because an old woman is relating the tale, and when you tell a story to another person, it tends to move pretty quickly. This isn’t a complaint, the opposite actually. It’s high praise that I wanted to spend mroe time with these characters.

If quarantine has left you with the inability to concentrate for long periods of time on reading, definitely move this book to the top of your TBR. You’ll have it finished in no time and wno’t get boged down in long, descriptive scenes with very little action.

I'm finding the most success with reading novellas and short stories right now. The Empress of Salt and Fortune is the perfect book for these times of being unable to focus. Not only is The Empress of Salt and Fortune novella length, each chapter is it's own little experience.

The Empress of Salt and Fortune is not strong on plot (which will be a blessing to some right now though I do usually prefer a stronger plot), but it's a beautiful book. The prose is gorgeous, and it makes for a wonderful read.

I would love to read more books by Nghi Vo.

The Empress of Salt and Fortune is a beautifully written story within a story that features strong women making the most out of a world that made the mistake of underestimating them.

This was a really short read that took almost no time, and it flowed right along. The writing was gorgeous and vivid, and the characters were interesting enough. The protagonist is agender, and there’s even a F/F romance, so there’s plenty to look forward to character-wise. Oh, and the cunning! I do so love me some cunning characters.

My Thoughts:

- This is essentially a story within a story, where we’re told about the past through the lens of a cleric seeking answers from an old woman in the present. It was a little jarring at first to try to get into the flow of it, but once I understood what was happening, I thought it was an interesting style. The story is about In-yo, the former empress, but also just as much about Rabbit, who’s telling it. It has the intimate feel of sitting at your grandmother’s feet listening to stories of the glory days … but with higher stakes. While it was an interesting style, this also posed a bit of a problem for me, in that the story and characters felt distant and hard to both relate to and get sucked into. As a reader, I did feel invited into the sort of fireside chat … but that wasn’t where the real action was. It was in the story of the past that was being told. It was a weird dynamic that didn’t quite work for me, though I’m going to chalk that one up to just personal preference.

- The writing style is lovely and flowing, evoking almost a mystical, fairy tale-ish feeling, while still painting each scene vividly. It’s deceptively simple on the surface and easy to follow, so you don’t even suspect it when you’re slapped in the face with a gorgeous description of the scenery or some poignant quote that just steals your breath. The beauty is almost in this juxtaposition of easy narrative mixed with just stunning phrases.

- Despite its brevity, this story still manages to pack in quite a few surprises, too. I think part of that is definitely down to the story-in-a-story way it was written, because the storyteller only reveals things little by little. The foreshadowing was on point. I loved being able to spot things and know that they would have hidden significance, even if I didn’t quite know what it was yet.

- Despite never actually getting to “meet” In-yo, the empress, she manages to be an impressive character. I actually think choosing to tell her story not from her perspective lent a lot to her character. Because Rabbit sees In-yo in a certain light, we also get to meet her in that way, and I enjoyed the dynamic. There’s a lot unsaid in this novella, where you really have to read between the lines and listen to what’s being implied, and I absolutely loved it. I got a good feel for In-yo and the way she refused to be beaten down by circumstance. The only bad thing about it is that I wanted more of her, since this was, in theory, supposed to be part her story, and it didn’t feel like her story was over.

- At its heart, this is a story about strategy: being dealt a hand you can’t control and choosing to win despite everything. I think the blurb doesn’t quite do it justice. This is a story of strong women, told by a strong woman. It’s a story of cunning and survival and underhandedness.

Sticking Points:

- As much as I want to love this world, I’m sort of really confused about it. There are hints of all sorts of bigger things in the world: of the mystical and paranormal, of politics and war, of historians and fortune-tellers. It sounds exciting, right? Unfortunately, I didn’t actually get a real sense of these things and where they fit in the larger world. I didn’t even get much of a sense of the larger world, except that there obviously was one and some hints at different kingdoms, etc. The story has a very obvious Asian influence, but it pretty much all takes place in one setting, and I wish there had just been more anchoring in the world itself.

- I love the idea of novellas, but I’m finding more and more that they just don’t quite work for me. This is obviously a me problem and nothing to do with this story, but it just didn’t feel to me like a fully fleshed-out idea. It felt like a brief glimpse at something that could’ve been really interesting, but didn’t quite reach fruition. The ending was brilliant to wrap up Rabbit’s story, but I felt like nothing else was resolved and there was just too much stuff left over for me to feel satisfied.